North India Tours

Introduction

Delhi

Delhi is a capital of the world’s largest democracy. Actually, Delhi is India in miniature. Delhi is 32,87,263 sq. km of India’s fantastic variety compressed into 1483 sq. km. Delhi has excellent tourist spots, recreational facilities, and a history that goes back to antiquity. The city offers a multitude of interesting places and attractions to the visitor, so much so that it becomes difficult to decide from where to begin exploring the city.

Old Delhi The important places in Old Delhi includes: Red Fort, The decision for constructing the fort was taken in 1639, when Shahjahan decided to shift his capital to Delhi. Within eight years, Shahjahanabad was completed with the Red Fort—Delhi’s seventh fort. Though much has changed now because of large-scale demolitions during the British occupation of the fort, its important structures have survived, the glory faded with age but still impressive.  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, The living legacy of Delhi is Shahjahanabad. Created by the builder of Red Fort as the focal point and Jama Masjid as the praying centre, Shahjahan planned Chandni Chowk so that his daughter could shop for all that she wanted. Raj Ghat On the bank of the legendary Yamuna, which flows past Delhi, there is Raj Ghat—the last resting place of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation cremated here.

New Delhi on the other hand, is a modern city designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. It is a spacious, open city that houses many government buildings and embassies, besides places of historical interest. Notable attractions in New Delhi includes: Rashtrapati Bhawan, It is architecturally a very impressive building standing at a height, flowing down as it were to India Gate. Rashtrapati Bhawan was once the imperial residence of the British viceroys. This 340-roomed structure has an imposing character overlooking India Gate and Rajpath. It is now the official residence of the president of India. India Gate, memorial raised in honour of the Indian soldiers martyred during the Afghan war.  Laxminarayan Temple Also called the Birla temple, the Laxminarayan Temple was built by the Birla family in 1938. It is a temple with a large garden and fountains behind it. Humayun’s Tomb was built nine years after Humayun’s death by his wife Haji Begum. Designed by a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghujas, and completed in 1565.  Qutab Minar  It was built by Qutub-ud-din Aibek of the Slave Dynasty, It is a fluted red sandstone tower, which tapers up to a height of 72.5 m. However, only the first storey was completed by Qutb-ud-din. The other storeys were built by his successor Iltutmish. In many ways, the Qutab Minar, the first monument of Muslim rule in India, heralded the beginning of a new style of art and architecture that came to be known as the Indo-Islamic style. Bahai Temple, situated in South Delhi, is shaped like a lotus. It is an eye catching edifice worth exploring. Built by the Bahai community, it offers the visitor a serenity that pervades the temple and its artistic design.

Agra

Agra is located about 204 km south of Delhi and is one of the most famous tourist spots of the country. The city, situated on the west bank of river the Yamuna, is known world over as home to a wonder of the world, Taj Mahal. For most of the time Agra alternated with Delhi as the capital of the Mughal Empire. As such one finds many marvels of the Mughal architecture in and around the city, the most famous of them being the following:

Taj Mahal On the banks of the river Yamuna stands the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in the 17th century, the Taj today is source of attraction for millions of tourists from all over the world. The white marble building appears to change its hue according to variations in the daylight. In moonlight, especially on the full moon night, the marble appears extraordinarily luminescent. During winter months, the view of Taj at sunrise is magnificent. Agra Fort - Built by Emperor Akbar on the west bank of the river Yamuna. Agra Fort today dominates the centre of the city. The crescent-shaped fort with its 20-metre high, 2.4 km outer walls contains a maze of buildings that form a small city within a city. The Diwan-i-Aam (hall of public audience) and Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) were built by Shahjahan for receiving audiences. Jehangir’s palace built by Akbar was the largest private residence in the fort. Close to Diwan-i-Khas, stands an octagonal tower known as Musamman Burj. It was here that Shahjahan breathed his last after seven years of imprisonment.
Other main tourist attractions are Itmad-Ud-Dalauh Tomb, Sikendra & Fatehpur Sikri

Jaipur

Jaipur is a city where royalty still lives in the grandeur of its palaces, where fighting for the honour of the clan has never been a need but a way of life, and where treating guests as gods has been a tradition from time immemorial. The city is located at a distance of around 258 km from Delhi and 232 km from Agra, making it a part of the famed Golden Triangle tourist circuit of North India. Jaipur got its name from its founder Sawai Jai Singh (1693-1743), who had the vision to create a meticulously planned city as his capital. All the houses in the old city are painted pink, including the famous Hawa Mahal, thereby giving the city its alternative name, the Pink City.
Jaipur offers a plethora of touristic attractions to the traveller. Some of them are:City Palace The City Palace is now converted into a museum, except a small portion that is still used by the royal family of Jaipur. Built in the fortified campus style, the palace covers almost one-seventh part of the city. One of the major attractions in the museum is the portion that is devoted to the arms and ammunition used by the royal family in the past. Jantar Mantar  This largest stone observatory in the world has a very interesting story behind its construction. Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of five observatories in India including this one. Before constructing this observatory, he sent his emissaries to all corners to the world, who returned with many manuals of cutting-edge technology including a copy of La Hire/’s Tables.  Hawa Mahal Strange though it may seem, this most famous landmark of Jaipur. This pink structure was constructed so that the ladies of the palace could watch the royal processions without being seen by any outsider. Amber Fort Standing tall over a small hillock overlooking the Pink City, Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthan fort-palace. Amber today is nothing but a reflection of the glorious past of the fierce Kachwaha Dynasty that ruled over this region from 12th to 18th century. Man Singh I started the construction of this fort in 1592 and, perhaps, it was the defence that topped his priorities before constructing this fort.

Mandawa

Located in the semidesert region lies in the triangular area between Delhi, Jaipur and Bikaner. Famous for its painted havelis (mansions) is also called as " Open-Air Gallery of Rajasthan".

'Shekhawati ', meaning "the land of Shekha 's dan " derives its name from Rao Shekha (1433 AD-1488 AD) a scion of the Kachhwah family of Jaipur. Earlier a part of the former Jaipur state, it now comprises of the districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar.

Udaipur

Udiapur is the jewel of Mewar kingdom ruled by the Sisodia dynasty for 1200 Years. The foundation of the city has an interesting legend associated with it. According to it, Maharana Udai Singh, the founder, was hunting one day when he met a holy man medit The hermit blessed the Maharana and advised him to build a palace at this favorable located spot with a fertile valley watered by the stream, a lake, an agreeable altitude and an amphitheater of low mountains. Maharana followed the advise of the hermit.

Major attractions of the city are as follows:    City Palace A majestic architectural marvel towering over the lake on a hill surrounded by crenelated walls, it is a conglomeration of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. The main entrance is through the triple arched gate
the ‘Tripolia’ with eight marble porticos. The Maharana were weighed under the gate in the gold, the equivalent amount of which was distributed among the populace. Saheliyo-ki-Bari This small ornamental garden was a popular relaxing spot where royal ladies came for a stroll and hence the name. The garden has many fountains in its four delightful pools,chiseled kiosks and marble elephants. Moti Magri A top the Moti Magri or pearl hill,overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake is the memorial of the Rajput hero Maharana Pratap with a bronze statue of the Maharana. Fateh Sager (Nehru Park)It was in 1678 by Mahrana Jai Singh,But was reconstructed by Maharana Fath Singh after heavey rains destroyed the dam.

Khajuraho

In the short span of 150 years, the Rajput dynasty of the Chandelas built a series of 84 temples at Khajuraho against the backdrop of the Vindhya mountains. No one has been able to find out why. The area is miles away from anywhere. Why then did they build there. How could they have got the labour. And even more important, the obviously exceptionally talented sculptors. And why is there is so much sexual activity depicted here.

The questions go unanswered, although many theories have been generated since there's nothing like an unanswerable question to produce theories. However one thing becomes clear. Khajuraho is one of the greatest celebrations of life, a triumph of artistry and an amazing experience. It is also a World Heritage Site.

This temple city of central India, is famous throughout the world for its exquisitely carved temples in stones. Thousands of visitors and tourists from all over the world flock together to envisage this immortal saga of Hindu art and culture .

Today, apart from the temples, Khajuraho is a small village but a thousand years ago it was a large city of the Chandelas, medieval Rajput kings who ruled over Central India.

Varanasi

Varanasi, known to the devout as Kashi and purportedly the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, is situated near Allahabad. As legend goes, the city was founded by Shiva, Lord of the Universe, making it is one of the most important pilgrimage
Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges River, the city has been a centre of learning and civilization for over 2000 years. Varanasi derives its present name from the two tributaries of the Ganga - Varuna and Asi - between which it is situated. Varanasi's principal attraction is the long string of bathing ghats, which line the west banks of the Ganges. An early morning river cruise is a must. Ghats are the steps, which lead down to the river.
There are around 80 ghats in Varanasi, each with its own significance. Most Indians believe that anyone dying on the banks of the river, in Varanasi, attains instant 'moksha' or enlightenment

Sarnath It was here that the Buddha first preached his message of enlightenment, 25 centuries ago. Saranath is only 10 km away from Varanasi. Vishwanath temple The main temple of Varanasi, the Golden Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva or Vishweswara. The original temple was located across the road, but it was destroyed by Aurangazeb, who then built a mosque over it. The present temple was built by Ahilya Bai of Indore in 1776. The new Mosque has been built using columns from the original temple razed by Aurangazeb. This mosque has minarets towering 71 meters above the Ganges. Durga Temple The Durga Temple, commonly known as the Monkey Temple, was built in the 18th century by a Bengali Maharani and is stained red with ochre.
This small temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga, consort of Shiva, is built in the north Indian Nagara style, with a multicoloured shikhara or umbrella. The Bharat Mata temple Carved out of marble this temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. The Tulsi Manas temple has been crafted from white marble, and has the entire Ramayana inscribed on its walls.

Aurangabad

Aurangabad is a historic city built by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to commemorate his Deccan conquest. The city has the same Moghul architecture as seen in Delhi and Agra. It is a convenient point to visit Ajanta and Ellora caves. Major tourist attractions are Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad Caves, Ghrishneshwar Temple, etc. Bibi ka Maqbara is the tomb of Begum Rabia Durani, wife of Emperor Aurangazeb and resembles the Taj. The monument is an excellent example of Persian Architecture. The arched alcove is surmounted by a swelling dome. Aurangabad Caves are of sixth century caves and lie outside the city. These caves display the influence of Tantric cult in the iconography and architectural designs of the caves. Some of the chaitya halls here are constructed on a mandala plan for the circumambulation of the Buddha who is depicted here seated on an intricately carved throne. Ghrishneshwar Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and is a fine example of medieval architecture. It is half a kilometer from Ellora.

Mumbai (Bombay)

Mumbai or Bombay, as it was formerly known -- remains India's city of dreams. Despite extreme poverty and eye-watering pollution, it is so dynamic that paupers still flock there in hopes of becoming successful entrepreneurs. Nehru Planetarium and Science Center: This Science Center is named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. Located in Worli, it has a computer lab, mobile science exhibition units, a heritage hall, an auditorium, inflatable dome planetarium, science library and a kid's science park. The sky-show at the planetarium is very interesting. Its slide projections and simulation of space combines entertainment with education. It has a library containing a large collection of books on astronomy, astrophysics and space sciences.

The Prince of Wales Museum: This museum stands near the Gateway of India. It has a priceless collection of art and sculpture. Carefully preserved, this mid-Victorian Gothic style building built in 1904, is worth visiting in Mumbai.

Victoria Gardens: These botanical and zoological gardens in Byculla have an interesting collection of flora and fauna. Apart from these, it also has a beautiful gateway, an arched architectural screen and a museum building in the Greco-Roman style.

Built largely by the British around one of the best-protected natural harbors in the world, Mumbai is India's business center and one of the most important commercial hubs between Singapore and Europe. Also is home to the country's prolific Bollywood film industry, which cranks out more feature films than any place in the world. The city's expansion has been rapid -- from fewer than 1 million residents in the mid-1950s to more than 18 million today, and Mumbai suffers from growing pains. High-rise hotels, designer boutiques and fine restaurants abound, but there isn't much in the way of museums or historical sites.